Psychiatric medications, science, marketing, psychiatry in general, and occasionally clinical psychology. Questioning the role of key opinion leaders and the use of "science" to promote commercial ends rather than the needs of people with mental health concerns.

Wednesday, January 31, 2007

Newspeak has returned and this time a drug company had nothing to do with it. To my great disappointment, the British Psychological Society (BPS) has moved into a realm which is well past bizarre.

I’ve posted previously about Lisa Blakemore Brown, who is currently under investigation by the BPS regarding her fitness to practice psychology. The evidence against her has been described as entirely without merit by some who have seen it.For more on the evidence, go here and look at the comments.

Aubrey Blumsohn asked to be present at Blakemore Brown’s upcoming hearing in front of the BPS. What transpires next is something that would have been entirely fitting of 1984. In fact, I’m now motivated to re-read 1984 in order to better appreciate Orwell’s genius and prescient sense of what was to come.

Blumsohn was informed that the hearings were private (i.e., no guests such as himself allowed) in order to “protect Ms. Blakemore-Brown’s privacy.” To address this, Blumsohn received explicit permission from Blakemore Brown to attend the hearing. No matter, he was then denied permission to attend the hearing by the Chair of the Fitness to Practice Committee, who refused to provide a reason for denying his petition.

To really appreciate the utter insanity of an organization that unfortunately claims to represent psychology, you really must read the entire transcript of the correspondence between Blumsohn and the BPS on this matter. You will be floored.If you, like me, are a psychological researcher, practitioner and/or teacher, then I don’t know how you cannot feel ashamed that the psychologists in the UK are accountable to the BPS.And the BPS is accountable to…?

"But psychologists do not simply collect evidence to explain people’s behaviour; they use their understanding to help people with difficulties and bring about change for the better. For example, psychologists are concerned with practical problems such as:"

"How can bosses stop strong leadership spilling over into bullying?<"

"So psychologists have a valuable contribution to make all areas of life today."

(Except in cases such as that of Lisa Blakemore-Brown where the BPS leadership do the bullying)

The first thing everyone needs to know about this matter is that until Aubrey blew it with my assistance, and Rita Pal’s (http://www.nhsexposed.com) the case was being held in secret for Lisa’s protection (Ho! Ho!). What it is that they did not want you to know is beginning to emerge slowly, but it presents a fascinating insight into modern Britain that people’s lives can be silently trashed, while lawyers and professional bodies connive - the story is as thick and gruesomely fascinating as a Dicken’s novel, and some of the characters as bizarre. But everyone needs to follow this because it is as important as anything unfolding in the news today.

The first thing everyone needs to know about this matter is that until Aubrey blew it with my assistance, and Rita Pal’s (http://www.nhsexposed.com) the case was being held in secret for Lisa’s protection (Ho! Ho!). What it is that they did not want you to know is beginning to emerge slowly, but it presents a fascinating insight into modern Britain that people’s lives can be silently trashed, while lawyers and professional bodies connive - the story is as thick and gruesomely fascinating as a Dicken’s novel, and some of the characters as bizarre. But everyone needs to follow this because it is as important as anything unfolding in the news today.

"Modern Britain" in this instance sounds awfully similar to "1960's Russia" - except that when Russians used a psychiatric diagnosis to silence Gen. Grigorenko it was recognised as a scandal in the human rights community, whereas when the British Psychological Society use a similar diagnosis to silence Lisa Blakemore Brown, hardly anyone raises an eyebrow.

http://www.ukrweekly.com/Archive/2005/130525.shtml

"...His case was publicized both within the Soviet Union and in the West. His incarceration in a psychiatric hospital and diagnosis as mentally unstable was a scandal in the international human rights community and made him a cause for many outside the Soviet Union..."

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Scientific Misconduct

About Me

I'm an academic with a respectable amount of clinical experience and no drug industry funding. Given my lack of time, don't expect multiple daily updates. Certain things about clinical psychology, the drug industry, psychiatry, and academics drive me nuts, and you'll probably pick up on these pet peeves before long...